Comments on: Another high school drops “Redskins” namehttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/
ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.comTue, 20 Mar 2018 00:45:47 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.com/By: 3mcstbhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2771633
Sat, 07 Sep 2013 06:42:06 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2771633Canisteo-Greenwood DID NOT change their mascot. “once a Redskin, always a redskin”
]]>By: lorinatidchttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2586833
Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:02:48 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2586833Top tier ‘Things” will always be a target for those seeking fame and fortune undeserved. Being a 2-3 most valuable franchise in NFL history and forseeable future sales will always leave the ‘Skins a target for this fight.

Cowboy was a term for robbers and thieves and swindlers. Ranchers were what we think of as Cowboys today. So meanings change, names then should not when rooted in history. We’d have to change so many franchises in Pro Sports.

I think Wizards should be offended, today PC is Magician. Dark art names should be attacked by the religious wings as well!! This is all so ridiculous.

Inuiti did not have much contact with Europeans until 1940, not to mention that this is like having a Latino speak about black societal issues.

Duane Champagne, director of Indian studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied the etymology of the word and published a report.

According to Herrod, who is “50ish,” Champagne’s report shows the word “redskin” was coined in the 1800s when the British Crown put a bounty on the capture of Indians. Bounty hunters couldn’t be paid without turning in skin of murdered Indians.

“The bounty called for their scalps, or the skin from their fingers or anywhere else,” Herrod said. “This skin was called redskin, because it was the bloody underside of the skin. There is no honor in that name, no matter how it may have evolved to in the minds of people today.”
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This is getting ridiculous. I can cite my sources on Google Scholar, but a simple look at Wikipedia will show that every one of these statements is patently wrong.

1. “Inuiti” is not a word. Anywhere. “Inuits” is the correct pluralization of “Inuit”.

2. Inuits have had a longer contact with Europeans than any other Native cultural group beginning with the Norse in the 11 century, resuming in the 16th century and continuing on to the present day.

3. Are you seriously trying to claim that Inuits are not indigenous Americans? Inuits make up around 90% of Canada’s Native population, and nearly 20% of the United States’.

4. This explanation of the origin of the word “Redskin” is not supported by any historical evidence. The academic concensus is split into two main schools of thought on the subject, and this is not one.
A. What would the “British Crown” be doing in America in the 1800’s?
B. Were European settlers barbaric, vicious, and cruel towards Natives? Absolutely. But why would there be a bounty for murdering Natives? It makes no sense. Among a thousand other reasons, who exactly would be paying for freelance homicide? There’s no monetary gain to murder, and therefore no economic incentive.
C. The word “Oklahoma” means “[land of the] Red People” in Choctaw
D. Even if it was true; the word had clearly been repurposed by 1967, when Walter Wetzel, president of National Congress of American Indians, not only encouraged the Redskins to continue using the name, but redesigned the logo himself.

]]>By: thirdistheworrdhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2585276
Tue, 11 Jun 2013 01:04:04 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2585276Jun 10, 2013 4:57 PM
So he got an eskimo.
BTW, Inuits do not even fall under Canadas Indian Act. Not exactly a spokesperson for the 5 civilized tribes.
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sc711 says:
Jun 10, 2013 5:07 PM
BTW, the reason they call them Inuits in Canada is because the term “eskimo” is offensive to them.
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1. So a man of 100% Native ancestry doesn’t have the right to say that he thinks this is a debate for Natives and Natives only?
2. “The 5 Civilized Tribes?” Seriosusly? I mean are you trying to destroy your own argument with pejorative terminology from the early 18th century that implies that all other Native Nations (ie. the vast majority) are uncivilized?
3. sc711 4:57 PM”So he got an eskimo.”
sc711 5:07 PM”the term “eskimo” is offensive to them.”
Anybody else see a disconnect here?
4. And “Eskimo” is not offensive, it’s just incorrect– “Inuit” is the generally accepted terminology, and they’re referred to as Inuits everywhere, not just Canada.
]]>By: thirdistheworrdhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2585275
Tue, 11 Jun 2013 01:03:24 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2585275irishnativeson says:
Jun 10, 2013 5:28 PM
To completely obliterate your point with your own post thirdistheworrd. You obviously don’t have any Native American heritage so what exactly qualifies you to interject some obscure interview with an equally obscure Inuit, as opposed to Aleutian chief? The Aleutians are an archipelago, a geographic term as opposed to Inuit a term to describe a group of culturally similar indigenous population ranging from Russia to Canada. Are you trying to suggest that this particular chief speaks for an entire people, the majority of which he has and never will meet?
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To completely obliterate you right back, did you read a single word of the post? What gives any of us the right to interject anything? I never claimed to have any Native blood, and I would never claim to speak for any Natives, but I thought we should all read Mr. Dodson’s take on the issue of non-Natives debating the Redskins’ name. And the point was not to defend the name “Redskins,” it has little to nothing to do with that– the point was that non-Natives really shouldn’t have a say in this issue.

Secondly, the Mississippi is a river, so therefore there can’t possibly be a Native culture associated with that name, can there? Or Massachusetts, or Appalachia, Cayahoga, Huron, Onondoga, or Missourri? That would be ridiculous.

Obviously the Aleutian Islands are an archipelago (really a chain, archipelago implies a nearby coastline), but why do you think they’re called the Aleutian Islands? Maybe because of the Aleut People? No way, that would make way too much sense

Lastly: “Dodson certainly doesn’t speak for all Natives, but his opinion about whoshould be speaking for all Natives seems very conclusive.” My exact words.

In summary, this is an argument that belongs to Natives and nobody else. Maybe if you had bothered to read the interview you would know that.

]]>By: goodguyattorneyhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2585122
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:50:03 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2585122If you’re going to write about politically correct topics, at least use the PC terms. It’s native Americans, not American Indians. This ain’t a John Wayne movie.
]]>By: sc711http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584822
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:05:59 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584822Inuiti did not have much contact with Europeans until 1940, not to mention that this is like having a Latino speak about black societal issues.

Duane Champagne, director of Indian studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied the etymology of the word and published a report.

According to Herrod, who is “50ish,” Champagne’s report shows the word “redskin” was coined in the 1800s when the British Crown put a bounty on the capture of Indians. Bounty hunters couldn’t be paid without turning in skin of murdered Indians.

“The bounty called for their scalps, or the skin from their fingers or anywhere else,” Herrod said. “This skin was called redskin, because it was the bloody underside of the skin. There is no honor in that name, no matter how it may have evolved to in the minds of people today.”

]]>By: lanjoithhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584784
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:59:08 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584784You people do realize that “diversity” means being different right? What makes this nation great it that you can worship Satan, say the N word, use your middle finger, burn the flag, call our president a monkey moron, believe the world is 6k years old & be against gay marriage all because we are free. This utopian society that some of you long for is a pipe dream and who wants a world full of like-minded thinking people anyway? I have too much fun making fun of nut job liberals to ever want them to go away!
]]>By: herrcules13http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584682
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:40:30 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584682They should move to Boise and change the name to Potato Skins.
]]>By: irishnativesonhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584618
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:28:52 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584618To completely obliterate your point with your own post thirdistheworrd. You obviously don’t have any Native American heritage so what exactly qualifies you to interject some obscure interview with an equally obscure Inuit, as opposed to Aleutian chief? The Aleutians are an archipelago, a geographic term as opposed to Inuit a term to describe a group of culturally similar indigenous population ranging from Russia to Canada. Are you trying to suggest that this particular chief speaks for an entire people, the majority of which he has and never will meet?
]]>By: romoscollarbonehttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584588
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:24:14 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584588We forced you off your lands, but we named a few sports teams after you. Hooray!
]]>By: oneilistheonehttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584488
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:13:18 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584488Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on more 189 up, 84 down

1. redskin

An offensive and derogatory term refering to native americans. Comes from when the government paid for each ‘indian’ one killed. Instead of carrying the bodies they would take the scalps to prove they had murdered a native american.

When plural the name of a NFL team from Washington DC

It seems there is a too common belief that the word redskin is not offensive so I dare those who believe that to go try that word out on a native american person and see their reaction.
At a casino on a reservation a customer refered to one of the native american employees as redskin. The customer was shot by that employee. So obviously it is offensive.

]]>By: sc711http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584465
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:07:00 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584465BTW, the reason they call them Inuits in Canada is because the term “eskimo” is offensive to them.
]]>By: sc711http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584440
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:57:34 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584440So he got an eskimo.

BTW, Inuits do not even fall under Canadas Indian Act. Not exactly a spokesperson for the 5 civilized tribes.

]]>By: thirdistheworrdhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584364
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:24:03 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584364And, for my next trick (Illusion, Michael), I will end this argument.

Just Google “Native American Chief Talks About Redskins”. If PFT would post that, the whole issue could be over. Unfortunately, there’s way too much money in non-Natives BSing around on the internet.
Stephen Dodson is a hereditary chief of the Aleutian People, here are some of his choice quotes:

““People are speaking for Native Americans that aren’t Native American…we had a big problem with all the things that were coming out [of the discussion]…they were basically saying that we were offended, our people were offended, and they were misrepresenting the Native American nation… Redskin’ isn’t something given to us by the white man or the blue eyes, it was something in the Native American community that was taken from us. [It’s] used also as a term of respect, because that’s how we were. We respected each other with that term… It just bothered me that somebody would twist something so negatively when it’s a positive.”

“[Much of the discussion over the Redskins name is led by non-Natives, and that makes me] Irritated. Irritated is a polite term to say… When you have people trying to represent our nation, you should be from our nation. Don’t represent our nation if you don’t even have an ounce of blood in you.”

Well, I think that about wraps that up.

Dodson certainly doesn’t speak for all Natives, but his opinion about who should be speaking for all Natives seems very conclusive.

Sorry to break your bubble, but I moved to the DC area in 1973 (before the blackout of all home games was lifted), and there was discussion at that time about whether the Washington NFL team should or should not change its name.

So, sorry to tell you, but this discussion has been going on for more than just this year.

Notwithstanding the protests of activists, a 2002 poll commissioned by Sports Illustrated found that 75% of those American Indians surveyed had no objection to the Redskins name… 2004, a poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania confirmed the prior poll’s findings, concluding that 91% of the American Indians found the name acceptable
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Fair point– I would have opened with the Annenberg study though. A poll by one of the nation’s premier public policy and opinion centers has more credence to it than a poll by SI.

To further establish the Annenberg study’s credibility, consider that their sample size was 200 times that of an average Gallup poll (widely considered the world’s most accurate survey).

Gallup polls are accurate enough to have a significant effect on congressional legislation and executive decision-making. And again, with a sample size 200 times larger than studies that affect every aspect of public and corporate policy, UPENN’s Annenberg Center concluded that 92% of of Natives approved of or were not bothered by the name, while only 8% found the name unacceptable.

]]>By: gregorysykeshttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584308
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:02:13 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584308The name is never going to change. Get over it and worry about more important things in life.
]]>By: b3nz0zhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584296
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:55:17 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584296see, you can’t even defend the name without more namecalling: “liberal, PC, whiny, guilty.”
]]>By: thirdistheworrdhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584280
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:49:19 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584280Regardless of how you feel about the issue, the really offensive thing is how the writers here feel like the have to be the sole engine of social change for Native Americans.
If Native American groups really wanted to make a big deal out of the nickname, they would. The fact that this website’s staff seems to feel like Native Americans are somehow incapable of speaking out; having their voices heard; or advocating for themselves: and that sportswriters are the only ones who can do it; is not only arrogant, but far more belittling than anything one could construe from Washington’s team name or logo.
]]>By: seaeagle707http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584269
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:44:22 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584269So schools in three “blue” states decided to give in to the decidedly liberal PC crowd. Is anyone surprised? I’m not.
]]>By: jmblosser82http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584267
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:43:58 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584267It would be weird to hear Washington be called another name, being almost 100 years old. But how about paying a group of fans some credit and call the team the Washington Hogs, cheerleaders can be called the Hogettes. They wore dresses for 30 years to support the team, IMO not a bad way to guy for some good press.
]]>By: robgilmanhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584251
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:33:14 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584251Notwithstanding the protests of activists, a 2002 poll commissioned by Sports Illustrated found that 75% of those American Indians surveyed had no objection to the Redskins name. The results of the poll have been criticized by American Indian activists due to Sports Illustrated’s refusal to provide polling information (i.e. how participants were recruited and contacted, if they were concentrated in one region, if one ethnic group is over represented and the exact wording and order of questions). But in 2004, a poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania essentially confirmed the prior poll’s findings, concluding that 91% of the American Indians surveyed in the 48 states on the mainland USA found the name acceptable and setting out in detail the exact wording of the questions.
]]>By: irishnativesonhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584220
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:21:09 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584220It used to be common knowledge that pointing out some physical difference or cultural idiosyncrasy a certain race of people had was in poor taste. Because it came from a time or a society which deemed it acceptable should have no bearing on it’s definition or intent today. Names such as the Chiefs, Braves and Warriors are walking a fine line. The Cleveland Indians could be placed in the same category with caveat that while the nickname, in and of itself, carries no particularly negative connotation, the cartoon caricature represented on their uniforms could hardly be characterized as venerating. Unfortunately our society has become anesthetized to some subtle and some not so subtle characterizations of indigenous populations simply because they have continued for so long. While specific tribal names, most would find acceptable, more loosely used terms, such as Chiefs and Warriors aren’t necessarily complimentary to the race they are intended to represent. The subtlety I mentioned earlier can have several facets. In the particular case of the Washington Redskins it does cut in a different direction. While the depiction they use is iconic and noble, it’s the name Redskins that carries the the negative connotation and while opinions vary, even among those who’s race or ethnicity is represented, it doesn’t change the fact that the term Redskins is, always has and been and always will be, a racial slur, demeaning a culture and ambivalence to it, accepting it, or defending it’s institutionalization are a sad commentary on our society. Much more so than political correctness can ever hope to achieve.
]]>By: kerryc21realtyhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/10/another-high-school-drops-redskins-name/#comment-2584219
Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:20:11 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=2190270#comment-2584219What a shock, the public schools being politically correct and marketing stupid decisions
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